Skyrim: Tale of the Dragonborn
by xxMercilessxx
Summary: Alexis, the Dragonborn, has saved Skyrim on multiple occasions. But after her attempt to leave her Dragonborn responsibilities fails, as a result of a fatal incident, she realizes that enemies from both her villainous past and more recent heroic path are set to destroy her!
1. Intro

Ok, so this is going to take place using my Skyrim Breton character Alexis. The story will be as I played it in the game. However, it takes place in the future, years after the events of the game with many flashbacks that describe the events transpiring during the course of the game as well as shortly after. Warning about Alexis right now, she is bisexual. Keep in mind that I do not support gays or think that it is okay, but I believe in respecting every individual no matter their choices, and I also believe that having a bisexual protagonist can provide thought-provoking discussion. Also, for those who may be deterred from reading this simply because of this, it is your choice, but I'm sure many of you have read fiction involving murder, war, or some other topic that is considered sinful or controversial, so this is really no different.

Please keep in mind that Skyrim and the Elder Scrolls series occupy a massive world with a complex mythology. If I get some details wrong please do forgive me as it would be impossible to get every detail correct. Also, in flashbacks that involve in-game events, some details may have been slightly altered for the sake of impact. For example, a character death that has little significance in the game may be altered so it is more significant in order to further the development of other characters.

Additionally, this is not a happy story. It may have happy moments, but the story will be filled with tragedy as Alexis is faced with the threat of many enemies whom she has made, both through her former villainous past and he more recent heroism. She will have to endure to tragic life of the Dragonborn, where he responsibility is to the people of Skyrim before her own self. So if you can't stomach a devastating and tragic story such as this, you may want to consider stopping here.

At times the many deaths that will occur in this story may at times be described in a graphic manner, as well as being very sad. I will rarely kill off a character just for the heck of it, if a character dies it will be extremely significant and also tragic.

Any sexual content that occurs in this story will NOT be described in great detail, as I am terrible at writing anything too sexually explicit and to keep it appropriate for a slightly younger audience. Sexual situations may be implied, referenced, or partially and briefly described with as little explicit content as possible. That being said, as of the beginning of the story Alexis has been with many people of both genders and this will continue in her future, so there are going to be sexual situations.


	2. Chapter 1

Alexis grunted as she tore her blade from the giant's head. She cleaned it by plunging it into the ground and slowly pulling it back out. She then sighed as she gazed at the five dead bodies in front of her; two giants and three mammoths. She had been watching these two giants since they had first set up their camp, two years prior. She had been reluctant to kill them as they had not posed an immediate threat to her family, safe inside her home, Lakeview Manor, half a mile away. But recently the mammoths had begun wandering off, and the giants would search dangerously close to the property. Alexis had decided she had no choice; if the giants wandered too close to the house one day and were provoked, her family could be at risk.

Alexis sheathed her Skyforge Steel sword, which she always carried with her and which she had named Gray-mane, after her late mentor and the creator of the sword, Eorlund Gray-mane. The best blacksmith in Skyrim, Eorlund could have made a wooden sword effective in combat. His skill, along with Alexis's membership into the Companion's, a group of morally guided mercenaries for whom Eorlund forged weapons, had prompted her to seek him as a mentor.

Alexis quickly scanned the surrounding area, and upon perceiving no additional threats, searched the giants' chest, managing to scavenge nearly five-hundred septims. This, in addition to the large amount of mammoth cheese and milk she had earlier obtained, would help Alexis feed her family for several weeks.

As Alexis began the journey back to her home, she thought of her family. Her husband Farkas, a former Companion, who loved Alexis far more than she could ever love him back. Alexis was unhappy with Farkas, something for which she hated herself, as he was kind and respectful to her and desired only for Alexis to feel for him as he felt for her. He did not deserve her cruelty, yet he had continued to be loyal to her for the last three years. Then there was Lucia, Alexis's eldest daughter, who would be eighteen in three days. She dreamed of enlisting in the Imperial Army, to fight in the war against the Aldmeri Dominion, and though a person was only required to be fifteen, Alexis had demanded she wait three more years. Sofie, the middle daughter, who was sixteen, wanted simply to stay at home and find a husband and start a family. Then there was Blaise, Alexis's only son, who was already eighteen and had moved into Breezehome in Whiterun to be closer to his girlfriend, Dagny, the daughter of Jarl Balgruuf. And then there was Astrid, four years old, and Alexis and Farkas's only non-adopted child, named after Alexis's preceding leader of The Dark Brotherhood whom, unbeknownst to Farkas, she had been in love with prior to her betrayal and death. There was also Sven and Lydia, Alexis's steward and housecarl, respectively. Sven served the family in their home, making meals, cleaning, and watching over the children. Lydia assisted with this, but had at one time been Alexis's traveling companion.

As Alexis approached her home, Lakeview Manor, she could see Sven tending to her horses, Allie and Shadowmere, and Lucia's horse, Swift. Alexis had always thought it funny that at fourteen years old Lucia had given her horse a name that would, in a few years, prove to be so accurate. Swift, now four years old, was likely one of the fastest horses in all of skyrim, and perhaps even Tamriel.

Alexis warmly greeted her loyal steward, who did the same in return, as she entered through the front door. As soon as she entered the house, Alexis was greeted by Astrid, who was holding Ella, her pet fox. Alexis deposited her loot in proper storage containers, and then she picked up her youngest daughter, hugging her.

"Mommy, did you bring me back anything?," Astrid questioned.

"No sweetheart, not this time," Alexis replied, exhaustion clearly showing in her voice. "But tomorrow I am traveling to Whiterun to help Blaise and Dagny prepare for their stay here. I'll bring something back for you." Alexis set Astrid down, gently so as to not upset Ella.

"Yay. I love you mommy," Astrid squealed in excitement as she ran off the play with her fox.

Astrid entered the kitchen where Farkas was preparing dinner. "What are we having honey?".

"Mammoth stew. It's your favorite," Farkas said with a smile as he leaned to give Alexis a quick peck on the lips.

"Yes, that it is. Thank you," Alexis said, smiling half-heartedly, as she pulled away from the kiss early.

Farkas frowned for a second, but quickly smiled again. Alexis knew that he was fully aware of her lack of feelings for him, yet he was always patient and kind to her. But Alexis could see he was suffering. All he wanted was for her to return his feelings, and while she did care for him deeply, she could not love him as he loved her.

"So how did your hunting go? Did you take care of the giants?," he asked.

Alexis just nodded. She kissed Farkas on the cheek and left, claiming "I'm going to go say hi to our daughters."

She went across the hall to the training room, where she could hear blades clashing on the other side of the doorway. She entered to find Lydia training Lucia in dual wielding.

"In the Imperial Army you will have a shield, but if for some reason you ever lose it in battle, knowing how to dual wield may save your life," Lydia was telling her as she swung one sword, which Lucia blocked, and another which prompted Lucia to duck.

"Yes, because my second sword can be used both for blocking and fighting," Lucia grunted as she, still ducking, swung one sword at Lydia's leg, knocking her down. She then stood and swung her other sword at Lydia's head, stopping before the blade touched her.

As Lucia helped Lydia to her feet, she noticed Alexis standing in the doorway. "Hello mother," she said, grinning.

"That was very good Lucia. If you continue like this, you will be a valuable soldier. And both Lydia and your father have taught you very well," Alexis said, smiling proudly at her daughter.

"Thank you Alexis," Lydia stated, accepting the praise.

"Thank you mother. But you also have taught me a lot," Lucia stated.

"Yes, well I want to ensure you have the best chance when you are fighting the Aldmeri Dominion," Alexis said. "Well, I just wanted to check on you, and now I'll go find Sophie."

"She is in her room, I believe," Lucia claimed as Alexis left.

Alexis headed toward Sophie's room, but upon reaching the door, she could hear crying on the other side. She entered the room, set on finding out what was wrong. Sophie was sitting in her bed, sobbing.

"Sophie, what is wrong," Alexis asked, sitting next to her.

Sophie looked at her, startled by her appearance in her room. "Nothing mother, I'm fine."

"No, Sophie you're obviously not. Explain to me what you're crying about," Alexis said, hugging her daughter.

"I don't want to die," Sophie sobbed.

"What do you mean? You're not going to die anytime soon Sophie," Alexis looked at her daughter, confused.

"With this war, Skyrim has become a dangerous place to live. We are in constant fear of attack. I have so much that I have not done in my short life and I don't want to die. I want to get married and have a family, and perhaps even travel Tamriel," Sophie cried.

"And you will get to do all those things and more, Sophie. I would give my life to ensure that you get to live yours," Alexis said, hugging her daughter more tightly.

"You might not be able to protect me," Sophie said. She pulled something out of her pocket, a piece of paper. "This was posted all over when I went to Falkreath this morning." She unfolded the paper and placed it in Alexis's hands.

It stated that as of that day anyone of at least sixteen years of age who had not previously served in the Imperial Legion could be forced to serve, effective until the end of the war.

"Sweetheart, i had no idea. Look, I won't let it happen. I will protect you always," Alexis said, holding her daughter's hand tightly. "No matter what."

Late that night, Alexis awoke to the sound of her horse, Allie, whining in terror. She looked over, seeing that Farkas was still asleep. She quickly got dressed, wearing lightweight hunting clothes, and rushed downstairs and out the front door.

She could hear the terrified screams of the horses as she rushed to the stable, but it Allie's screams ended as Alexis grew close and she already knew what she would find. As she approached she could see Swift running around his section of the stable, whining, while Shadowmere stood and mourned over the body of Allie.

Alexis knelt down next to her fallen horse and stroked her face, tears falling from her eyes. She searched for the cause of her death and found that she had been shot through the heart with an arrow. Alexis forced herself to get up, still crying over the death of her first horse.

As she turned back towards the house, Alexis noticed that her front door was wide open, just as she had expected after finding the arrow. This was an attack.

 **So this was the first chapter. I hope you all enjoyed, the story is going to become quite interesting from here. By the way, I encourage you guys to try and guess who the attacker is. You can pm me or state it in a review if you want to share. Not a whole lot of clues yet, but I feel like some of you may be able to guess.**


	3. Chapter 2

Alexis reentered the house to screaming coming from Sophie's room. She hurried down the hall, and as she approached the door she could see blood, spread by the mysterious attackers hands, across the wall. She entered the room and immediately fell to her knees in grief, sobbing at the sight. Sophie's body was in the corner and her decapitated head sat in her lap. Sven was laying against the wall next to her, with an arrow in his chest, yelling out in agony.

"Sven, what happened," Alexis sobbed, kneeling to speak to him.

"I heard the horses and realized wh-what was going on," Sven began, coughing up blood. "Sophie's room is closest to mine, so I came in to help her. I told her to run far away as fast as she could toward Whiterun. After she left I created an illusion." As he said this, Sophie's body disappeared into mist. "I-I saved her. Sh-She escaped. A man, or perhaps a women, came in wearing a black hood. I protected the illusion as a distraction, and the hooded figure shot me, and then decapitated the fake Sophie. You have to go...help the rest."

Alexis nodded, wiping away tears. "Know that your sacrifice was heroic and that I will avenge you, my friend." She stood and exited, turning to head up the stairs. She followed the trail of blood on the walls to the main guest room. Inside was the hooded figure standing behind Lydia, Lucia, and Farkas, who were all on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs.

"Listen closely Dragonborn," the figure said in a deep, clearly disguised voice. "I stand here, over three of your closest loved ones. One of them will die tonight. And in time I will return and kill another, and then another. When all that you care about is gone, I will destroy you."

"You touch any of them, and I swear with the Nine Divines as my witnesses, I will grant you a slow and agonizing end. You will meet your end by my blade, Grey-mane, and you will be just another fallen enemy of the legendary Dragonborn. If you are doing this for glory, I assure you you'll not live to receive it."

"Oh please, we both know you've already guessed my identity, which means you know exactly why I wish to make you suffer, Destroyer of the Companions," the hooded figure shouted.

"True, there are no signs of a struggle, which means Farkas did not fight you. Because he would never hurt a former shield-sister. And I instantly recognised your arrows. Aela!".

"I guess there is no need for this mask then," Aela claimed, ripping it off. Her hair was much longer now, covering much of her face, including the scar that Alexis knew ran along the right side of her face, but still revealing enough that Alexis could see she no longer wore face paint. "Now choose. Which one dies!".

"Aela, you do not have to do this. Just kill me and get it over with. It's me you are after, I am responsible for the fate of the Companions," Alexis pleaded.

"Alexis, you will die, and trust me, it will be a very slow and very painful death. But first you must suffer as I did, watching all those you care about die. I trusted you to lead us as the Harbinger, just as Kodlak did. You let me down, you let all of us down and now our shield-brothers and sisters are dead, and the few who are not have scattered," Aela glared at Alexis. "Now choose or I will choose for you."

Alexis dropped to her knees sobbing. "I can't. I can't choose."

"My Thane, choose me. I have sworn to protect you and your family and I would gladly die for you. Sovngarde awaits," Lydia said bravely, though the fear in her eyes was evident.

Alexis continued sobbing as Farkas glared defiantly at Aela, trying to free his hands, while Lucia cried and prayed for help from the Nine.

"Very well. I will choose," Aela muttered. "A shame that she must die right before her birthday, but it seems you'll be making funeral arrangements for your daughter." Aela unsheathed a steel dagger and approached Lucia from behind.

"No!," Farkas yelled. "Kill me. Kill me instead or the next time I see you I'll plant an axe between your eyes."

Aela frowned. "Very well. I am sorry my former shield-brother, but you have sided with Alexis and are therefore my enemy." In one swift motion Aela ran the knife across Farkas's throat, his blood spilling out onto the floor, as his near lifeless body crumpled to the floor.

"No. Oh no!," Alexis screamed, sobbing harder than ever.

"It would seem you are not the warrior you once were. It was not that long ago that you would have shot me through the heart with an arrow before I could've done that," Aela stated. Well farewell. Next time we meet another of your loved ones will meet their end." Aela grabbed a torch from the wall and dropped it on the floor, and then proceeded exit through the nearest window, as the room lit up with orange flames.

Alexis crawled toward her husband who was rapidly bleeding out. "Farkas, I'm so sorry. You always loved me unconditionally, and I refused to love you in return out of fear that you would be hurt, and now that you are dying I realize that I do love you."

Farkas opened his mouth to speak, unsuccessfully, as more blood poured from his throat. He grabbed Alexis's hand before going limp as his skin paled and the light faded from his eyes.

Alexis's sobbing continued until Lydia interrupted. "Alexis, we need to get out of here before the entire building is engulfed."

Alexis wiped her tears and cut the ropes binding Lydia and Lucia, She then picked up Farkas's body, while Lydia opened a secret hole in the wall to reveal Astrid hiding inside with Ella. As she crawled out of the small space, she scanned her surroundings.

When she saw Alexis carrying Farkas, Astrid screamed. "No, daddy no. Please no."

"Astrid, we have to leave," Lydia said solemnly. "Alexis, you won't be able to bring the body. The horses can't carry him."

Alexis started to protest, but she knew Lydia was right. SHe set her dead husband's body back down and then, wit her head down, led Lydia and her two daughters downstairs and outside.

"Where is Sophie?", Lucia asked.

"She escaped. We'll look for her before setting off for Whiterun," Alexis spoke softly.

"My Thane, we can't stay here to look. This fire will attract all kinds of horrible creatures. We must leave now," Lydia argued.

"Lydia, I will not leave my daughter," Alexis yelled.

"Look, I care about her as well. I've watched over her for many years now. She is strong and should be able to make it to Whiterun on her own," Lydia stated.

Alexis sighed. "Fine, but if she has not reached Whiterun within three days, I will return by myself to find her. You had better be right about this."

Alexis walked the few steps to the stable, untying both horses. She helped Astrid onto Shadowmere, with Ella in her hands, then hopped on in front. Lydia and Lucia took Swift.

"Shadowmere, take us to Whiterun. I suppose it's about time we returned," Alexis said, and her trusted horse took off, heading for the city that Alexis had not visited in nearly three years.


End file.
